By The Numbers: Week 14: Tony Romo, Roy Helu, Christian Ponder & More

There are always some intriguing numbers that helps lead us to our fantasy football decisions. Let’s take a look at some of them for Week 14:

4 – Number of targets for Golden Tate in Week 13He converted all four into receptions, with four catches for 47 yards and 1 TD. Tate actually tied for the team high in Week 13 (with running back Michael Robinson), as Tavaris Jackson only threw the ball 16 times. In time Tate’s targets should increase, though I wouldn’t count on it this week with the Seahawks taking on the porous St. Louis Rams’ rushing defense. Expect a steady diet of Marshawn Lynch in Week 14, though Tate should remain the go to receiver. As a deep sleeper, he’s worth considering.

8 – Passing touchdowns allowed by the Baltimore Ravens this season
It’s not like Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon should’ve been considered high level options to begin with, but taking on the Ravens really makes it hard to trust them. Just to make it a little worse, in their past five games the Ravens have allowed just two touchdowns to wide receivers (Mike Wallace in Week 9 and Andre Caldwell in Week 11).

9 – Tony Romo’s passing touchdowns over the past four weeksIt ties him for third most in the league (with Drew Brees), behind only Aaron Rodgers (13) and Tom Brady (10). We all know that the Giants passing defense has been exposed by Brees and Rodgers the past few weeks, and we’ve also seen DeMarco Murray struggle without his lead blocker recently. With Miles Austin back in the mix (though Laurent Robinson is hurting), don’t be surprised to see the Cowboys go pass heavy on Sunday night. He has to be considered one of the better options in the league.

108 – The number of yards for Malcolm Floyd in Week 13He actually has 100+ yards in his last two games played (and three of his past four), though there was four missed games sandwiched in between. That said he’s clearly an option that Philip Rivers (who has started to look like he has in past seasons) is comfortable with. The Buffalo Bills have allowed 21 passing TD on the season, so both Floyd and Vincent Jackson could be in for big games. As a WR3, Floyd should be considered a good play.

177.75 – Average passing yards per game for Christian Ponder on the roadIn three games at home Ponder is averaging 270.3 passing yards and the stark split is definitely something to keep in mind. Not only that, he’s thrown seven touchdowns at home vs. just two on the road. That’s not to say that he should not be considered, especially with Ndamukong Suh out this week, but he has to be considered a pretty deep sleeper and a desperation play with fantasy titles hanging in the balance.

208 – Roy Helu’s total rushing yards over the past two gamesMike Shanahan has finally turned over the full-time rushing duties to Helu, as he has 23 carries, 100+ yards and a touchdown in each of the past two games. It’s about time, isn’t it? This week he draws the New England Patriots, so you have to wonder if the Redskins will fall behind early and be forced to throw the ball instead of run it. Of course, the Patriots are allowing 4.2 yards per carry and Helu also has 11 receptions and 96 yards over the past two weeks. The matchup is not a reason to shy away from him, depending on your other options.

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6 comments

Hey Prof, How do you feel about Adrian Peterson this week if he plays? I have DeMarco Murray and Roy Helu starting right now, but even if AP plays I am leaning towards staring these two instead. What are your thoughts?
P.S. Thanks for the help with Antonio Brown on Thursday!

Luc – I would actually rank AP slightly above the other two, though it is close enough that I could see sitting him. Though, it all depends on the news on AP, of course. Originally I would’ve said AP & Murray, but I’m now thinking AP & Helu (since he’s been a factor in the passing game and able to run well as well). Monitor the news, though, and see how it turns out.